One distribution source said: ‘We have been told RIM is planning the biggest above-the-line campaign in its history. Spending big is something RIM hasn’t done historically but I hope for their sakes it will be of the size of the Sony and Samsung launches. If not they will struggle to be taken seriously. After all, this is about their future as a credible manufacturer.’

RIM is hoping the new BB10 devices will halt falling Blackberry sales which have seen its share of the global smartphone market plummet from 20% in 2009 to just 6% in 2012.

RIM's rivals are spending big on their product launches. Nokia spent £20m on its launch of its first Windows smartphones – the Nokia Lumia 800 - whilst Sony is set to double its spend on its flagship phones to around £40m this year.

RIM is expected to focus a large part of its marketing campaign on high end business users in the face of growing competition in the enterprise space from Apple and from Android manufacturers.

A manufacturer source said: ‘RIM is set to throw everything behind this launch in terms of marketing and they will need to, since they have a very small window of opportunity with MWC less than a month away and are launching in what is the worst quarter of the year.’